Donald Trump made a visit to East Palestine, Ohio on Wednesday in an effort to console members of the community effected by the toxic train derailment that took place there earlier this month.
During his scheduled stop-over, Trump and his team doled out bottles of "Trump Water," and also "a much lesser quality water" that did not include his own name on the label.
"You want to get those Trump bottles," the former president joked, receiving polite snickers from those in attendance who have had to deal with testing hazardous water from the taps in their own homes which is described as having a "super glue/pool/fruity-like odor" since the derailment, according to coverage by The New York Times.
Trump in E. Palestine: “We’re bringing thousands of bottles of water - Trump Water, actually. Most of it. Some of it we had to go to a much lesser quality of water. You want to get those Trump bottles.” pic.twitter.com/Y6UITcgGrz
— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) February 22, 2023
Beating President Biden to the scene, Trump was asked by reporters to deliver a message to him and offered a glib "Get over here," per The Independent.
"You are not forgotten," Trump furthered during a brief speech. "In too many cases, your goodness and perseverance were met with indifference and betrayal."
Remarking on Biden's recent surprise visit to Kyiv, Trump went on to say "You have a President going to Ukraine and you have people in Ohio that are in desperate need of help."
The February 3 derailment that has left East Palestine in such dire straights involved five cars containing vinyl chloride, a colorless gas linked to various cancers; the effects of which are being compared to the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, per Salon staff writer Troy Farah.
On February 8, state officials gave the "all-clear" for previously evacuated residents to return home, but they were cautioned against drinking well-water.
"This is why people don't trust government," environmental activist Erin Brockovich tweeted on Feb. 13. "You cannot tell people that there has been and continues to be hazardous pollutants contaminating the environment while at the same time saying 'all is well.' People aren't stupid."
As of February 19, state officials have declared that water from the municipal system is safe to drink "though the state EPA has encouraged those who use private wells to get that water tested, since they may be closer to the surface," according to updates from CNN.
